Showdown: Trinidad star vs. Feigen in 50-meter freestyle finals

Three-time Olympian George Bovell from Trinidad and Tobago will provide the opposition Saturday night in Austin when former Churchill standout Jimmy Feigen tries to win the title in the 50-meter freestyle at the Longhorn Aquatics Elite Invite.

Bovell covered the 50 in 22.46 seconds Saturday morning to secure the top seed in the finals. Feigen, who beat American Olympic icon Michael Phelps in the 100 free Friday night, had the second-fastest times at 22.66. Chris Brady was third at 22.96.

Earlier this year, U.S. star Nathan Adrian narrowly edged Bovell in the 50 at a meet at Indianapolis. Adrian went 21.88 and Bovell 21.89. Both times rank among the fastest in the world in 2012.

Adrian isn’t in Austin this weekend for the Longhorn Aquatics event. But he is considered the favorite to win both the 50 and the 100 at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha in three weeks.

Feigen, a former standout at Churchill and the University of Texas, produced his best effort in the 50 last August in California. There, he was timed in 22.03 seconds and finished second at the U.S. nationals.

On Friday night, Feigen put on a show in the 100 free, swimming to a personal record 48.63 seconds. He obliterated his previous best effort by 0.36.

Feigen said afterward that he thinks he will need to swim in the 48.4-second range at the trials to make the U.S. relay pool. He said he thinks he”ll need to go 48 flat to place first or second place, which would allow him to swim the 100 as an individual in London.

Missy Franklin in the 200 backstroke. Franklin, age 17, qualified No. 1 in morning prelims. She is the reigning world champion in the event. “Missy the Missile” won five medals at last year’s world championships in Shanghai, China.